smith



(No Model.)

G. 0. SMITH.

WATCH CASE.

No. 387,321. Patented Aug. 7, 1888.

UNITED STATES PATENT Orrrcit,

GEORGE 0. SMITH, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

WATCH -CAS'E.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,321, dated August '7, 1888.

Application filed November 27, 1885.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE 0. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing in New York, county of New York, and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in etch-Cases, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in watch-cases in which a movement-holding ring for excluding dust from the movementis seated in the center and maintained on its seat by screw-threads on the ring engaging the center, or by set-screws passing through the ring into the center, and only removed by unscrewing it or said set-screws.

The invention further relates to improvements in watch-cases eontaininga movementholding ring in which the said ring, when hinged, is jointed to a center screw-threaded to receive a bezel, and in which the ring is necessarily pinned to the center, and in so doing unavoidably injures the thread thereof.

The objects of this invention are to dispense entirely with screw-threading the ring or employing screws of any character to maintain the ring on its seat, or of directly pinning or jointing the ring to the center, and at the same time facilitating the removal without the detachment of the ring from the case, and there by enable the movement to be readily and quickly inspected or detached from the ring, and the ring to be as readily attached and detached from the case. I attain these objects by devices illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 illustrates a plan view of a watch case suitable for receiving the movement holding ring involving my invention; Fig. 2, a similar view of the movement-holding ring detached from the case; Fig. 3, a similar view of the watch-case and ring combined and with the ring in its operative position; Fig. 4, a central section through the case, the ring with dotted lines indicating the rings swung outwardly from the case; Fig. 5, an enlarged detail perspective view of the ring and the hinge-block thereof.

Similar letters of reference indicate the same parts in the several figures of the drawings.

The watch-case center A. is of the ordinary Serial No. 184,071. (No model.)

construction, to which the covers and bezel of the watch may be hinged or screw-threaded, as the case may be, or one of the covers, as shown in Fig. 4, be formed with the center. This centeris internally provided with ashoulder, a, on which seats a corresponding shoulder, 1), of a movement-holding ring, B, projecting into the center and isolating the movement from the chamber 0, inclosing the ordinary snap and lift springs (not shown) of the case, the movement being usually seated in said ringin such a manner that it may be readily removed therefrom.

The center A, preferably next the pendant 0, but may be at any other point relative thereto, is provided with a dovetailed notch, (Z, in which removably fits a corresponding block, D, provided at its upper end with a hit orally-projecting perforated lug, c, said block and lug constituting one leaf of a hinge.

The movementholding ring is provided in its upper edge, opposing this lug, with a notch, f, through which the lug projects, with its top surface in a plane with the upper edge of the ring, and between the ring and hinge-block is formed a hinge-connection, through the me dium of the pin 9, passing through the ring and the perforation of the lug 6, so that when the hinge-block is seated in the center the ring may seat in the centerand beswung outwardly therefrom, as shown in dotted lines, Fig. i, or be removed entirely from the case by lifting the hinge'block out of the center. By this construction the ring is hinged to and at the same time readily removed from 'the center without jointing, requiring soldering, and without cutting through the outer and screwthreaded portion of the center of a screw-bezeled case, and all these in a simple and convenient manner, requiring no manipulation liable to injure the center, while at the same time a neat and closefitting joint is formed between the center and the movement-holding ring.

\Vhile I have shown and described what is believed to be the best means of carrying out my invention, it will be no departure therefrom, however, to solder the pin 9 to the ring and substantially dispense with the notch in the ring and the lug on the hinge-block, for when the pin is soldered on the outside of the ring there will be no necessity of a lug projecting through the notch in the ring, and so, also, the form of the notch in the center and that of the hinge-block may be materially varied in form, or the hinge-block be attached in any other manner to the center, without departing from an essential feature of my invention, which is a hinge-block between the center and ring and detachable from the center.

The connection between the movement-holding ring and the center,as shown and described, is adapted for watch-cases in which the bezel is snapped or hinged on its seat on the ring, but is more especially designed for and desirable in watclrcases in which the bezel is screwed upon the center, because it provides for an attachment of the ring with the center without injury to the thread of the center, thereby cutting through them, or by the employment of solder, and at the same time permits the ring to be readily and quickly entirely removed from the center without injury to either member, and to repair or form the hinge-joint between the center and the ring while the ring is entirely detached from the center.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A watchcase, in combination with a separate leaf secured to said case and amovement-ring or other like part permanently hinged to said leaf or other part, substantially as described.

2. A separate and independent leaf, in combination with a movement-ring or other like part hinged to said leaf, with aseat in the case-center for the reception of the leaf, substantially as described.

3. In a watch-case, a case-center and a ring or other attachment, in combination with a single hinged leaf detachably secured to one of said members and pivoted to the other member, substantially as described.

GEORGE 0. SMITH.

WVitnesses:

FRANCIS PRITTY, WILL R. OMOHUNDRO. 

